Missing Racine Girl, Father Found In Chicago; Mother Slain

An Amber Alert is active for Iryana Vaughn, 2, of Racine, Wis., who may be headed to the Chicago area with her father, Iryin Vaughn. (Credit: Racine Police)

UPDATED 02/08/12 11:16 a.m.

RACINE, Wis. (CBS) — A 2-year-old girl from Racine, Wis., is safe following five very tense hours, and her father is in police custody, after the girl’s mother was found slain.

As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, Iryin Vaughn, 25, is accused of kidnapping his daughter and driving her from Racine to the Jeffery Manor neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side. An Amber Alert was issued in both Illinois and Wisconsin.

Chicago Police say with help from investigators in Racine, they found Vaughn’s blue 1998 Ford Explorer parked near 98th Street and Yates Avenue. He and Iryana was inside a home down the street where his mother lived, police said.

Iryana was not hurt, but she was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago as a precaution. A police officer carried her inside.

The block of Yates Avenue where Vaughn was found was blocked off as late as midday Wednesday, and would not reopen until Vaughn’s sport-utility vehicle was towed.

Neighbors in Jeffery Manor said they were stunned it all ended on their block.

“I’m glad they found the child,” said neighbor Jamal Fleming. “It almost makes me think about what happened with that whole Jennifer Hudson thing…. I’m just glad nobody’s hurt and that they apprehended the guy.”

Vaughn was wanted for questioning shortly past midnight, after Iryana’s 27-year-old mother was found dead in the upper flat of the building at 900 Racine St. in Racine.

Racine police Sgt. Martin Pavilonis said the woman’s death had been ruled a homicide and Iryin Vaughn had been named a person of interest. But he declined to go into detail about the slaying.

“We’re still in the middle of a homicide investigation,” he said. “There are some details that we’re not prepared to release.”

But Pavilonis said police had been called to the Racine Street address in the past, and said, “The father is someone we would like to speak with.”

But instead of talking to police, authorities say Vaughn took off with Iryana in his SUV, which had an Illinois license plate.

Vaughn was arrested around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Chicago Police say they are waiting for word from Wisconsin authorities about extraditing Vaughn to Racine.

It is unclear what Vaughn’s intentions were in coming to the Yates Avenue address, but police say Vaughn has an address listed in the 7600 block of South Colfax Avenue in Chicago, and nothing in Wisconsin.

Vaughn was convicted of domestic battery and was released from prison in February of 2010. Wisconsin Circuit Court Access indicates that he has open cases involving theft, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping, CBS affiliate WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, reported.

we looked up his criminal record, and found he was convicted of domestic battery in 2008.